


The Line That Ties

by Icy_Hot_Soba



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yu-Gi-Oh! Series
Genre: I know I've seen this somewhere, Just not for this ship, M/M, Not an original idea, Red Thread Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2018-07-02
Packaged: 2019-06-01 13:37:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15144239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icy_Hot_Soba/pseuds/Icy_Hot_Soba
Summary: Yami and Kaiba are tied together by a red thread on either's ring finger, and neither one knows how to get rid of it. So, Mokuba and Yugi attempt to solve the problem, but these two don't seem to need help for long...





	The Line That Ties

“Do you think this is a good idea, Kaiba?”

“What are you so afraid of, Pharaoh?”

It had been an hour since the thin, ruby strand of thread wrapped around both men’s fingers, the one between their middle finger and pinkie. The occurrence happened during Yami and Yugi’s visit to test if KaibaCorp’s new prototype could handle the power of an Egyptian God card without short circuiting the duel disk, which it could not. It was mere minutes after the failed attempt that this incident happened without warning. The string simply appeared from a will of its own.

The duo rushed to Kaiba’s office as soon as it appeared, sitting in matching eggshell sofas across from each other, as it was the farthest they could manage to stay apart from one another without stretching the thread. Mokuba sat beside Seto and Yugi beside Yami. No one had an explanation for this conundrum, but Kaiba’s patience had run thin.“I’ve already missed two meetings and a conference. I don’t have any more time to waste on a spool of thread.”

“There must be an explanation,”Yami stared at the thread wrapped loosely around his finger. Something was odd about it all. If this was destiny, what did it have to do with them? The Pharaoh knew what was expected of him, or at least he _thought_ he knew. With this sudden problem, even Yami was at a loss of what was going on.

As for his other half, Yugi agreed there was more to this than what it seemed. Yugi scratched the back of his head speaking with a small tone,”I’m with Yami on this one…”

Kaiba huffed,”What’s new? Mokuba, hand me scissors.”

“I don’t know, Seto…”

“Not you, too.”

“I just think we should do some research before cutting it.”

The Kaiba Bros exchanged a harmless glare, ending in Mokuba walking over to Seto’s computer to see what he could find. For now, the room stayed silent. Yugi was at a loss of words while Yami contemplated his past. He could only assume his ties to Ancient Egypt, along with Kaiba’s ancestry, were to blame for this sudden issue. However, Seto began to contemplate how he could reach the scissors in his drawer without Yami pulling him away.

It was easy to find information on KaibaCorp’s mainframe. All Mokuba had to type was “thread connecting two people” and the answer presented itself. Of course, the answer was a bit more complicated than just that, and he _knew_ neither Yami nor Seto would accept this as the solution. His only option was to involve Yugi in his plotting.

“We’ll be right back,” the younger Kaiba stated with no explanation as he walked over to Yugi, gripped the boy’s hand, and pulled him off the couch. Of course, Yugi did not argue, simply standing and following Mokuba outside. Yami and Seto watched as the pair stepped out of the room, turning their gaze to each other once both boys had exited.

Yami questioned the moment, cocking his head a bit,“They just...left?”

“Yeah…”

**************************************************************************

Once outside of Kaiba’s office, Mokuba watched the automatic door come to a close. He stepped a few more feet away from it to ensure the sensors would not reopen the door as he spoke. Yugi followed suit.

“So, I figured it out.”

Yugi smiled, cheerfully expressing,”Awesome! So, what’s going on?”

“There’s this ancient myth, about these two people who refused to admit they loved each other…”Mokuba paused when Yugi’s eyebrows lifted in an unsettling manner, one just a tad above the other. Muto was not lost in the slightest; he knew exactly what Mokuba was insinuating. The thought of it was simply unfathomable: those two, in love? That alone seemed like a myth.

Mokuba sighed in frustration even though he knew how odd of an idea it was, but then the question arose if their love was really _that_ far fetched to begin with. He could not speak for Yami, but he had seen time and time again how obsessive his brother could get over the Pharaoh. Mokuba took a deep breath, raising his hands in a standstill position as he spoke,“Yugi, hear me out.”

Muto hesitated,”I-I am…”

Mokuba quickly continued with his theory,”Apparently, the legend goes that they were completely oblivious to the other’s feelings. One day, they both looked down and saw this red string linking them. Yatta, yatta, yatta...What matters is, the string won’t go away until they admit their feelings to the other.”

“I don’t think Yami will even believe that, and if Yami doesn’t-“

“Neither will Seto. That’s why we’re going to trick them into admitting it.” Mokuba’s current smile matched one of Seto’s in the heat of dueling.

Yugi tried not to be intimidated by his younger friend, but it simply was not working. With a small delay, Yugi shyly requested,”How are we gonna outsmart _them?_ Yami’s really smart when it comes to people, and your brother’s got like...the IQ of Einstein.”

“Actually, Einstein never took an IQ test, but Seto’s IQ is 160.” Mokuba boasted with ease; it was second nature having a brother like his.

Yugi’s eyes widened as he shouted,”What?! Mine was like a 95!”

“Ah...That explains a lot.”

**************************************************************************

“They have been out there for quite some time.” Yami stated with an undertone of dismay. The situation was odd enough, and with these two plotting, who knew what to expect?

Seto chose not to reply, sighing instead as he reached for his phone with his hand that was not attached to Yami’s by a string. Checking his phone only led to his annoyance level rising, far too close to its max. The amount of notifications on his screen had tripled since he last checked them about five minutes ago. Kaiba aggressively tossed his phone across the couch, causing it to slide into the arm of the sofa with a thud.

Yami raised his head at the noise, only to witness Kaiba staring out the window at the far end of his office, but when seeing the phone, he drew his own conclusions as to the noises origin. Kaiba’s stare was focused; Yami could practically feel the heat emanating from his rival. The Pharaoh stood, walking over to Kaiba’s desk without approval and began rummaging through his desk drawers, carefully as to not move something out of place.

Kaiba felt the tug of the thread, glaring as Yami scanned through his items. “What are you doing?”

“Looking for the scissors you spoke of.”

“I thought you were against that idea.”

The Pharaoh stopped for a second. Yami had been against the idea and still was to a degree, but they were simply at a loss for what to do. With no decent explanation to this mystery, Yami had made up his mind, those scissors were their only option. The Pharaoh continued through the drawers without a word, pens, paper, and binder clips were all he could find.

Marching over to the other end of the desk, Kaiba opened the second drawer on his side. He gripped the sleek silver scissors, dangling them by one finger. Seto directed his gaze to Yami as he smirked,”I believe _this_ is what you’re looking for.”

Yami rolled his eyes in a huff,”So, do it.”

“Why the sudden change of heart?”

“I simply decided to test your theory. Is that so unreasonable?”

“It is when you’re lying, Pharaoh. So tell me why you’re actually swaying toward my idea.”

It was Yami who now grew impatient. First, Kaiba makes a fuss on cutting it, and now he hesitates. The Pharaoh had quickly became tired of Seto’s constant games. Yami cocked his head a bit with his rebuttal,“Am _I_ the issue here, or are you unsure of your own plan?”

“I’m simply curious. You’ve never been one to change your mind so hastily.” Seto set the scissors back in his desk and pulled a key out of his pocket located inside his signature white jacket. Kaiba locked the drawer before setting the key back in his pocket.

Yami stared in confusion. There was not much to be done, as the action happened so quickly. Before the Pharaoh could comprehend his rivals actions, it was too late. All Yami could do was ask why.

“What are you doing?”

“Making sure you don’t try to open it.”

“But-“

“I think there’s a better solution to this problem.”

There was a sigh from across the room, one loud enough for Kaiba to hear just how infuriated its owner was. He glanced up to see the Pharaoh heading back to where he sat minutes ago. This time, Seto saw the Pharaoh’s annoyance. The way Yami’s arms were folded as his hips slightly swayed with each, heavy step he took. It was blatantly obvious to Seto that he had succeeded in frustrating his rival. At this point, it was an unintentional habit.

Kaiba glanced at the his monitor, skimming over what Mokuba had left on the screen. Seto only got a few seconds to scan the monitor as his hand was soon pulled back to the sofa by a rather upset pharaoh. It was more than enough time to get the jist of the article; it was laughable to Seto.

Of course, what harm would testing such a theory really do? So, Kaiba strolled over to the couch Yami was currently residing in, sitting beside the Pharaoh who instantly shot a confused glare at him. With a smirk, Kaiba adjusted his seat a bit closer toward Yami while crossing his legs.

“Am I too close, your highness?”

Where did Kaiba think he had the audacity to make such a statement? This was the only thought flooding Yami’s mind. Instinctively, the Pharaoh’s eyelids lowered, nearly shut, as he stared at Kaiba, yet the man was completely unaffected by it. The taller man was even _smirking_. Kaiba’s smug expression irked Yami to no end, so why were his cheeks beginning to burn?

The longer Yami stared at Seto, the more that fire in his cheeks flared. It took some time for the Pharaoh to realize what this meant for the outside world, so his gaze quickly averted to the nearest object opposing Seto, the blank white wall of a canvas beside him. The thought that Kaiba may have seen his rose red cheeks made them burn even brighter.

Of course, Seto did see them, and even with his face turned, Kaiba could see the red tips of Yami’s ears. Maybe this theory was not as far fetched as the CEO had earlier believed. The idea of him with Yami, it wasn’t something he spoke of. Consider, sure, the Pharaoh had plenty of redeeming qualities, all to Seto’s liking, but never did he expect his feelings to be mutual.

“I think I know what those two are plotting.”

“Oh?”

Seto nodded,”On the screen, Mokuba left his research open.”

To this, Yami turned enough to align his face forward, so as to see the clear glass table in front of him. Seto assumed this was the Pharaoh’s way of showing he was paying attention, which it was, so the young CEO continued,”Some myth about a tie between stubborn lovers.”

The Pharaoh’s eyes twitched unintentionally, but this act did not go unseen by his rival. Yami would be lying if he said there was nothing between them. The Pharaoh had feelings for Seto, yet those he had buried deep in his heart when they first surfaced some months ago. To act on them would have been selfish as his time in this world was limited.

Of course, Seto knew their time would run out. Kaiba had calculated the outcomes of their relationship, the consequences and possible backlash of it all, but for once, Seto did not care. The look in Yami’s eyes, the twitch of his pupils at the mere mention of it. He _knew_ his feelings were mutual, so Seto decided to play a little game of his own,“Do you hate me, Yami?”

“No.” The Pharaoh’s response was immediate, far quicker a response than he intended it to be. It was only after he spoke that the Pharaoh realized how pleating his composure was.

Kaiba turned to look at Yami with another smirk, but it went unseen. The Pharaoh was far too busy with a fluttering heart to witness it. This only made the young entrepreneur even more confident as he placed his arm on the backing of the sofa, conveniently behind his couch partner. Leaning a bit closer toward Yami, mere inches from his ear, Seto playfully jested,”So, that means you love me~”

To this, the room fell silent, even though Yami swore his heart beat could be heard floors below them. The booming of it resonated in his ears. To answer would condemn him regardless, and silence was no better an answer. The Pharaoh opened his mouth to speak, not really sure of what to say.

Before Yami could say a word, Kaiba abruptly spoke instead,”I already know your reply, so what’s the point in wasting your breath. Show me.”

“What do you mean?” Yami questioned, honestly confused by Kaiba’s last statement. It was too broad. The Pharaoh glanced up at Seto for the first time in minutes, but words were no longer necessary. Seto was only a couple of inches from Yami’s face, awaiting the Pharaoh’s response.

While time seemed to still, it was not because the Pharaoh hesitated. As if instinctively, Yami leaned forward to touch Seto’s lips. It was a sensation he was not expecting. The young man’s lips were warm and soft, opposite his normal personality.

“I guess we didn’t have to do anything.”

“Man, I was looking forward to outsmarting those two, too…”

Yugi chuckled with a genial smile, and even though Mokuba’s tone was less than cheery, his face showed otherwise. The smiling twins watched as Yami and Seto quickly broke their lip embrace, both men escaping to the farthest opposing edges of the sofa. It was hard to tell who’s face had turned redder the quickest, but one thing was for sure. The thin red thread had disappeared entirely.

“What are you doing here?” Kaiba barked. It was rare he snapped at Mokuba, but his bark held no bite, as his younger brother knew all too well.

While Yugi jumped at Kaiba’s question, Mokuba smirked,”Well, Yugi and I _were_ going to help you get rid of the thread, but catching you two in the act was WAY better.”

“Shut it, Mokuba.”

The tween could only laugh at his brother’s remark. Of course, their relationship was a little different than that of Yugi and Yami’s. While the Kaiba Bros argued, the Pharaoh kept his face well hidden behind his hands, elbows resting on his knees to keep him steadied. Yugi took this time to sit on the floor in front of his other half, slowly peeling Yami’s hands enough to the side for his face to only be visible to Yugi. With a heartfilled smile, Yugi spoke soft but loud enough for only Yami to hear him,“I’m proud of you, partner.”

“Dude, he already kissed my brother. I think he’s had enough for-“

“Mokuba, out!”

“Aw, Seto, you know that was good!”

Without words, Kaiba raised his arm, pointing toward the door. Mokuba rolled his eyes, playfully laughing,”Come on Yugi, let’s leave these two love birds to it~”

The glare Kaiba shot his brother could kill two small birds. Mokuba devilishly smirked as he backed out of Kaiba’s office, saying one last line before blowing a kiss and disappearing,” _Show me~_ ”

Yugi attempted to repress his laughter with little success as a few giggles escaped. He followed behind Mokuba with a smile and waved toward his other half as he exited, only to receive a half wave back from the Pharaoh.

For what seemed like minutes, both men sat in complete silence. Neither moved, fidgeted, nothing, the room fell stagnant like a pond in the middle of a wetlands. Kaiba made the first move, reaching for a pen and lomo card in his pocket. Yami made minimal movement, turning his head just enough to watch the CEO write numbers on the back of the card. Seto set the card in between them on the vast open space of couch, leaving the sterling silver pen on the table. Kaiba cleared his throat before speaking,”That’s my cell, in case you need something.”

The Pharaoh picked up the small slip of paper, smiling a bit as he did. Seto’s handwriting shocked him. Yami had seen some of Kaiba’s signatures in the past that were practically illegible past a K and S marking the beginning of each word, but this handwriting seemed like it had come from a different person. Every letter was defined with a small margin of space before the next.

“Thank you,”Yami stated as he stood,”and expect a call from me in the near future.”

The Pharaoh displayed a small smile before turning for the door, one that was met with another of the same nature. Yami headed out the door with no other words spoken. Neither needed to hear or say a farewell. They knew they would see each other soon enough, and a week later, they did.


End file.
